Polka Dot Impressions | Social Media Marketing | Social Media Consulting | Social Media ManagementSocial Media Making Connections2015-03-29T14:22:49Zhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/feed/atom/WordPressFrankie Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=73702015-03-24T03:42:54Z2015-03-24T12:20:23ZWhat social media lessons can come from the recent multi-million dollar court case? The family of Marvin Gaye will receive nearly $7.4 million after a California judge ruled that Gaye’s music was stolen by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke and used in the 2014 smash hit Blurred Lines. Williams and Thicke claimed they were inspired by, but did not use ...

]]>What social media lessons can come from the recent multi-million dollar court case?

The family of Marvin Gaye will receive nearly $7.4 million after a California judge ruled that Gaye’s music was stolen by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke and used in the 2014 smash hit Blurred Lines. Williams and Thicke claimed they were inspired by, but did not use any of, Gaye’s 1977 soul tune Got to Give It Up.

It is difficult to write new music, just as it is difficult to write a thought that has never been recorded before. After all there are only eight notes on a scale with twelve intervals. Even for three octaves of notes, there is a limit to the number of different compositions available, right? Yes, but the numbers are astronomical, according to a report from Gizmodo. The report states that the music site Gracenote lists more than 130-million different songs. No one will ever be able to hear all that music. If a person played one after another it would take more than 1,200 years to complete the Gracenote library.

The courts do not take kindly to copyright infringement violations. This is the case in music, sports, photography, logos, visual arts, graphic arts, writing and…social media. It is a fact—individuals share all kinds of copyrighted material on their social media sites and one rarely hears of any litigation resulting from it. You can be certain of this, though: the risk is much greater when a for-profit or not-for-profit organization or corporation shares content. If you are using social media for marketing, that means you!

Social Media Lessons

Make note of these things to reduce your risks:

Giving credit on photos from another source does not satisfy copyright permission. Contrarily, cropping an image you use from another source will tell the judge that you maliciously violated copyright laws. Williams and Thicke testified that they talked about Marvin Gaye’s song during their recording session.

Content from a “free” site does not automatically give permission for use of the content. Look for “royalty free” when using content and pay the subscription fee for all other sites.

Read every “user’s agreement” of every social media platform you use for your business or organization. Most of them state that by building a profile you agree that you are the one responsible to comply with all legal strictures.

If you claim that your business is a professional enterprise don’t use social media amateur staff. Find a professional social media marketer that fits your marketing and branding needs.

Original, creative content is so important in social media marketing that it’s important to pay attention to these lessons. Original, fresh, engaging content not easy to regularly create. It is, however, the best content for your business.

]]>0Hannah Kelly Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=73592015-03-15T22:28:13Z2015-03-16T12:55:59ZPerforming at 100% in one area is better than performing at 50% in two. In a perfect world, we would all work at full capacity, achieve any goal we wanted every single time, and dominate every field. But it’s not a perfect world, and no matter how lofty our intentions, we often can’t execute numerous objectives at the same time. ...

]]>Performing at 100% in one area is better than performing at 50% in two. In a perfect world, we would all work at full capacity, achieve any goal we wanted every single time, and dominate every field. But it’s not a perfect world, and no matter how lofty our intentions, we often can’t execute numerous objectives at the same time. There are so many routes to take, but only so much time. The same holds true in social media. Sometimes it’s necessary to disengage for a moment from your multiple social platforms and consider which site your business should be utilizing to its max potential.

Choices to make in social media

Choose the social platform that contains your biggest market.

Don’t misinterpret this point. The social platform on which you have the most Followers or Fans may not necessarily be where your market is. Are most of your Fans made up of friends and family members? If so, does this group need your product or service? If they don’t, then they are not your market. Find where your market is and focus your efforts there.

Fix mistakes on your chosen social network.

Your first priority is for visits to your Page to be as seamless as possible. Are your “About” sections complete and informative? Do you have all profile photos branded to your company so there’s no confusion regarding what business the Page represents? Do you have regular posts with high quality content that is valuable to your audience? Are your posts diverse and compelling? Do they promote engagement from others by including a clear call to action? Do you respond to others when they engage with your content? Do you thank them for Retweets or acknowledge their comments? Do you address any concerns visitors have? There should be no hiccups or extra searching. Your goal is for visitors to check out your Page, scroll through your posts, and view your different sections with ease.

Highlight your strengths on your selected social site.

Fixing mistakes is necessary, but to really set yourself apart, you must excel in some areas too. What is your differential advantage: the feature that makes your business unique? What makes your social media market respond with interest in your product? Is it pretty graphics, jokes, inspirational quotes, videos, questions, contests, informative articles, tips, seasonal specials, how-to tutorials, etc.? Find the type of post that hits home with your market and use plenty of it. Of course, vary other types throughout for a refreshing assortment, but hone in on your influential posts and make them work wonders for you.

Help your market find its way to you with content that hits home!Tweet this

Once you learn one social network, you can then follow the same process on other sites. Keep in mind that platforms are very different from each other, but the system of experimentally learning what your audience values is the same. Research the type and number of posts that work well on your particular platform. Create a schedule of what type of posts should be distributed at what times throughout the day or week. On a weekly basis, brainstorm on a list of posts your audience would enjoy. Publish them on social media. Experiment with the posting time. See what response you get. Repeat!

]]>0Frankie Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=73492015-03-07T21:20:29Z2015-03-09T13:15:02ZWhat I’m about to share is so important that you should put it on your task manager. Your business needs you to check every social media profile and keep the information up-to-date. Your social media’s first impression determines whether a person continues to engage with you or back out of becoming a customer. Buying decisions are made almost as quickly ...

]]>What I’m about to share is so important that you should put it on your task manager. Your business needs you to check every social media profile and keep the information up-to-date. Your social media’s first impression determines whether a person continues to engage with you or back out of becoming a customer.

Buying decisions are made almost as quickly as it takes to load a page. If you have the potential customer for only a moment, what does that person see? If you can’t answer this question it is now time for you to perform the upkeep.

What’s in an impression?

It is especially important for a local business to consider their first impression. When a person searches for your industry, product or service, the information she or he finds needs to be true. Because if it is not true, it is a lie. Too strong? Okay, in the least it is perceived as a business that does not know how to do business. The searcher thinks “sloppy, no attention to service, go to the next result that doesn’t make it hard to get accurate information.” When a potential customer thinks those things about your business because of your social media’s first impression, your competition is likely to get the business.

Here are common mistakes on social media profiles:

No phone number listed
More and more searches are being conducted on smartphones. Your potential customer is on the phone! Make it easy for them to press your number and get the information he is wanting. Make sure all your profiles have your business phone number.

Outdated images are on the cover
How can a picture of a flower be outdated? Imagine this is January and the flower is the poinsettia, implying a holiday season that has passed. Seasonal messaging is good content—a sales campaign, a national celebration, community events. When you post such images on your profile, make sure you have the replacement images and corresponding information ready to go at the same time. Change the images as soon as the seasonal information’s season has ended.

No address listed
Your potential customers are accessing search engines via mobile devices. They’re on the move. They want to come to your business. Tell them how to get there by giving your address on all your profiles and a map, if possible. They are moving…to your competition if you don’t make it easy for them to get to you.

No website listed
Social media marketing for your business gets customers to your business or to your website. If you followed the steps above, you’ve done all you can within the space provided on social media profiles to get them to your business. But, are they coming to your website? Another mistake that is very common is that social profiles do not include the business’ website homepage URL. Or, you can post a different link to a page that is specific to a campaign you might be running. Just make sure you replace it with the main URL when the campaign ends.

Not taking advantage of directories
The final upkeep to routinely perform is to make sure all the free directories of social media have the same up-to-date information. Check your Yelp, CitySearch and other free directories. They can be excellent back links to support your search ranking.

This upkeep is very easy. Being diligent and on top of this oversight is usually problematic for the business owner. If you have not engaged a social media marketer, be certain you put these recurring tasks on your calendar at a minimum. Your business will thank you.

]]>0Camille Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=73342015-03-12T21:33:02Z2015-02-26T14:02:50ZSocial media marketing is full of good people doing good things for their businesses and organizations. However, some people develop bad habits along the way, habits that harm rather than build up. Are you doing damage with your marketing? Are you making the most of what social media can do for you? These 10 bad habits are the most common ...

]]>Social media marketing is full of good people doing good things for their businesses and organizations. However, some people develop bad habits along the way, habits that harm rather than build up. Are you doing damage with your marketing? Are you making the most of what social media can do for you?

These 10 bad habits are the most common mistakes made by marketers who may or may not understand the implications of this kind of long-term bad behavior. Check out this Infographic on 10 No-No’s of Social Media Marketing, and take action to ensure that you’re following the best practices of social media marketing to achieve the best, long-lasting results for your business!

[Read the full version of this social media marketing Infographic on LinkedIn.]

]]>0Camille Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=73222015-02-16T13:28:44Z2015-02-15T22:20:16ZIf you know me at all, the title of this post should concern you. I love Twitter. It’s undoubtedly my favorite social network. I’ve talked about the reasons I love Twitter before, and all of those reasons still apply regardless of the changes that have come and gone to Twitter over the years. What I don’t love about Twitter, what ...

]]>If you know me at all, the title of this post should concern you. I love Twitter. It’s undoubtedly my favorite social network. I’ve talked about the reasons I love Twitter before, and all of those reasons still apply regardless of the changes that have come and gone to Twitter over the years. What I don’t love about Twitter, what ticks me off about Twitter is this: “one-night stands” on Twitter.

What’s the Twitter equivalent of a “one-night stand,” you ask?

One of the things that people who love Twitter truly love about it is the ability to freely interact with others, even when you don’t know them personally. The public nature of tweets, including those by influencers in your industry, makes it an incredible source of quality information and conversation. It’s always been that way.

Naturally, there will be some who come to game the system. I get it. It’s the nature of Twitter’s influence. Someone is always looking for a quick advantage. Those who tell you to buy Followers, for instance, are just manipulating numbers for the sake of vanity. There’s no real value in that, but some use this method to increase alleged influence.

But that’s not a one-night stand. A one-night stand on Twitter is the Twitter user who makes a system out of following others, hoping for them to follow back, and then immediately unfollowing them when they do. They appear to be interested, take what they want (your Follow), and drop you like a hot potato.

This ticks me off. I’ve watched it happen to me, to Polka Dot Impressions’ clients, and I’ve heard others talk about this practice affecting them. Not only does it make for a bad habit on Twitter, but it ruins the integrity of the Twitter user who’s doing this.

What’s the secret to success on Twitter?

Long-term success on Twitter comes from using it right. Best practices. Honesty. Two-way conversations. Twitter is most successful when you have a genuine interest in others, helping them, being helped by them, and exchanging relevant and useful information. That really doesn’t sound all that difficult to me. It’s not about numbers, but value, and I find Twitter to be highly valuable when used this way.

So, please, if you’re using Twitter, do not try to engage PDI clients or me in a one-night stand. We don’t tweet that way, and we don’t respect those who do!

Get some help with Twitter best practices so that you can gain value, give value, and get away from those who are just trying to manipulate you!

]]>0Frankie Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=73012015-01-23T22:36:30Z2015-01-26T13:05:40ZHave you ever noticed that video news footage seldom shows faces anymore. When the camera is focused on a crowd it is likely you will see bodies from the neck down or from behind. When the story involves a school, you will see backpacks, legs and shoes. You will not see faces. These decisions are driven by the right to ...

]]>Have you ever noticed that video news footage seldom shows faces anymore. When the camera is focused on a crowd it is likely you will see bodies from the neck down or from behind. When the story involves a school, you will see backpacks, legs and shoes. You will not see faces.

These decisions are driven by the right to privacy of an individual in this country. Increasingly, news outlets are extremely cautious to include any footage of persons from whom they have not received consent and authorization. When minors are involved, the law is even more stringent in its intent to protect the minor’s privacy.

Who Needs To Get Consent?

I’m not going to address copyrighted images. That is another blog on its own. This blog deals with photos, pictures, videos and audio recordings and their inclusion on posts in social media. Do you know when you need consent? Here are some guidelines.

Inclusion of people images on a personal social media profile.
You do not need consent and authorization as long as you are not generating revenue (often called “commercial use”) from your social media profile. But if you do any associated marketing or charge for subscriptions or generate revenue in any way, the person in the image can sue you. So, taking a group selfie at a concert or at the mall or at a dinner party is okay. However, taking a photo at a minor’s sporting event is risky. Get verbal approval from any other parents to use the photos. Avoid using identifying images of children you do not know.

Inclusion of people images on a commercial business’ or nonprofit organization’s profile.
For the sake of this article let me use these definitions for two key terms: consent and authorization. Consent is acknowledgment and/or agreement that the image can be used for a specific purpose. So, if you want to take a picture of a flower vendor for your Facebook business profile, you must communicate that to the flower vendor and get agreement. Authorization is a written form signed by a person, a person’s guardian (if the person is a minor) or a person’s legal representative acknowledging and agreeing to let the person’s image or recording be used for commercial, educational, promotional or legal purposes. Get written authorization. Have witnesses for consents and authorizations.

Inclusion of all other photos and images on a commercial business’ or nonprofit organization’s profile.
If you took the photo (scenery, freeway traffic, etc.) or created the graphic, you likely own the copyright. If you work for someone who pays you for these products, they own the copyright. What do you think will happen if you use these images elsewhere? Also, make sure you are not recording an image of a copyrighted image and promoting your business with it.

Do most people care?

No. But it is the one person that does care that can cause great financial liability if you use an image without consent. All it takes is one to close down your profile, or even close down your business.

Probably not in court, unless you have a witness that is not related to you or employed by the same organization. Without the written authorization, the burden of proof becomes easier for the person coming after you and your business. The best practice is to carry consent/authorization forms with you wherever you go. If the image is that important to use for your business or nonprofit it should be that important to get authorization to protect your business.

Some other thoughts on consent for images—

Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Have a policy in place addressing how already-used images will be owned by your organization. Withdrawn consent means that in the future you cannot use any images you have not used to that point.

You can only use the images for the purposes noted in the authorization form. So, include every possible use you can think of.

But what about memes and other graphics? Create your own for a business profile. Share all you want on a personal profile.

Giving credit to the owner of the copyrighted material is not always enough. This is called “attribution.” The law is on the side of the copyright owner. It gives the copyright owner the right to decide whether he wants his material to be used by anyone. Saying “But, I gave you a shout-out!” is not a legal defense.

The reality is that most people will violate these consent practices and the law as regards the use of images and recordings on social media. That does not make it legal. Nor does that give your attorney anything to work with if you are taken to court.

Be smart. Be legal. Set the example for others to learn the right way. Unfortunately, this does not become a real issue for many…until someone steals your company’s intellectual property from social media profiles or websites and gets a larger share of the market with it.

]]>0Camille Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=72972015-01-23T20:46:11Z2015-01-24T12:55:40ZI spend a fair amount of time each week on social media research. I look at what others are saying and doing, monitoring trends, reading articles from influencers as well as the more obscure social media folks. Staying on top of digital content marketing and social media strategies is not a small task anymore. It takes a lot of time, ...

]]>I spend a fair amount of time each week on social media research. I look at what others are saying and doing, monitoring trends, reading articles from influencers as well as the more obscure social media folks. Staying on top of digital content marketing and social media strategies is not a small task anymore. It takes a lot of time, but that’s the nature of this industry.

There’s another level to success in digital marketing, too. Doing it.

I’ve seen people who write about marketing, but don’t actually do what they say. I’ve seen some who tell you what to do for your business, but they don’t do their own day-in, day-out digital marketing. I’ve read books and taken courses, but it all changes when you start doing the daily execution of digital marketing.

Impressions in Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is merely the use of digital channels to market your business’ products or services, but unless you know what you’re doing, you can do a lot of damage for your business. You may only have one chance to make a good impression on a potential customer, and if your online marketing is done poorly, then you’ve misspent your only chance.

As things become more complex, the diversification of digital marketing has created problems for business owners.

How will you manage multiple channels at the same time, each with a unique style and demand?

These are just a few of the reasons that a strategic marketing plan is so important for any organization to have. Digital marketing is not for the beginner any more. The diversification of options has changed all of that.

]]>0Camille Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=71932015-01-08T23:37:46Z2015-01-09T13:33:43ZFrom time to time, realigning your social media efforts is called for in business. Whether it’s an annual audit, a change in direction for your company, or just internal housekeeping, maintaining clean, accurate and up-to-date social profiles is important to your brand or organization, and a social media alignment is in order! Here are several areas on which to focus ...

]]>From time to time, realigning your social media efforts is called for in business. Whether it’s an annual audit, a change in direction for your company, or just internal housekeeping, maintaining clean, accurate and up-to-date social profiles is important to your brand or organization, and a social media alignment is in order!

Here are several areas on which to focus your efforts. Check out this Infographic, and be sure to scroll all the way down for some additional information and tweetable tips on each item of a routine social media alignment.

How many social media sites are you operating?

Do you have any inactive social media sites?

Review all of your social platforms, active and inactive. If you’ve taken on more platforms than you can effectively mange, it might be time to redirect those inactive Fans and Followers to some of the social media sites that you are using well. Or, commit your team to a reenergized focus on inactive sites. Trends change. Stay in touch with your target audience.Tweet this

Review all of the “about” sections, too – links, phone numbers, contact details, etc. – verify that the most accurate information is readily available to Fans and Followers. Don’t miss an easy opportunity for potential customers to find you!

Social Media Posts – The Good, Better, Best

Review your social media posts. What’s worked well for each platform? You may have several types of valuable content. Are there any patterns in what Fans and Followers responded to consistently versus only occasionally? Do you know the difference between good content and better content for your audience? Fine-tune your social media objectives from these patterns to create a consistent content strategy that serves your audience faithfully. Focus on quality content!Tweet this

Create a Social Media Content System

Once you’ve developed a clear content strategy, one that’s true to your company vision and appropriate to each social media platform, it’s time to “systematize” this. Create a content calendar, outlined by social network, that makes it easy to regularly and reliably serve your audience with high-quality social media content. Look for opportunities to enhance the best content, and optimize how you deliver it for your audience. An engaged audience yields more referrals, more conversions, and potentially greater sales! Tweet this

Assess Your Social Media Team

Based on their understanding of your target audience and the best types of content, as well as an intimate understanding of the social media platforms themselves, do you have the right team in place? Does anyone have access to your social media sites who no longer serves on your team? Having the right people in place is as important as having a clear content strategy in order to execute it well.

A part of this team assessment may be a routine updating of all of your passwords. Make sure you choose secure passwords that include a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. “Getting hacked” is not as unusual as it once was, and whether it’s over a hamburger war or international relations, password security should be at the forefront of equipping your social media team.

Taking the time to perform a social media alignment should be a regular part of your company’s strategic planning. The immediacy of social media can lead you off course without it!

]]>0Camille Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=71732014-12-18T13:23:42Z2014-12-18T13:35:21ZOn one level or another, every marketer I know is looking for ways to beat the changing tides of social media marketing. What was once a free-for-all, “everybody wins” landscape, is now a tough, competitive, demanding and sometimes ugly venture. Social media is not the free market it used to be, and no one wants to face that reality without ...

]]>On one level or another, every marketer I know is looking for ways to beat the changing tides of social media marketing. What was once a free-for-all, “everybody wins” landscape, is now a tough, competitive, demanding and sometimes ugly venture. Social media is not the free market it used to be, and no one wants to face that reality without a fight.

Images of the California Gold Rush in 1848 come to mind. Picturesque landscapes and beautiful scenery, glistening gold in the sunlight – these images were replaced with overrun streets and victimized townspeople. Is this an extreme comparison? Maybe not.

Marketers are not all the same. Some are not so honest in their attempts to “game the system,” and sadly, that makes the job harder for those who, like the Polka Dot Impressions team and many others, are genuinely interested in building long-lasting results for their clients through social media marketing initiatives. This forces the attentive business owner to take a good look at some tough questions around social media. Is social media optional for the business? What’s the purpose of social media marketing, and are we ready for some changes in our attitudes if we want to move forward appropriately?

Social Media ROI

Business owners and CEOs will all agree with this statement. There should be value in the things that a company spends its money on or the business will suffer. (Value, in this case, is defined as a return on the investment, ROI, of time spent on the task.) This is true for staff members evaluated on their performance, office supplies used in the process of doing business, utilities and rents paid on store locations and services, and a myriad of other things that fall into the “cost of doing business” category.

But where does social media marketing fall? Is it a cost of doing business, or is it a fringe expense?

This is a difficult decision for any business leader because of the implications of the answer.

If social media is determined to be a cost of doing business, then the time and monies allocated to staff and contractors, ad campaigns, etc., are no different than the cost of having a telephone for the business or turning on the lights. It’s built into the general operating costs of the business, ideally as a line item in the budget. The ROI of this perspective of social media is usually measured by overall contribution to the organization, not on granular delivery of success. As an example of overall contribution, an under-performing employee may be fired, but the position is kept open until a replacement is found. The position isn’t terminated when the employee is.

On the other hand, if social media marketing is determined to be optional, a fringe expense, then only discretionary monies will be spent on it, leaving marketing the business up to the discretion of the bottom line – after the fact. In this case, other expenses take precedence, and the monies available for marketing, no matter how little or how big, are evaluated on a very rigid basis. Discretionary money is always held to a higher level of scrutiny, and ROI is determined by very specific achievement of objectives in situations like this. For instance, a company may or may not take their employees on a staff retreat if the business owner can just give each employee a personal pat-on-the-back and stay within acceptable profit margins.

The Purpose of Social Media Marketing

To determine the answer to the first question, is social media marketing a cost of doing business or is it an optional, fringe expense, every business leader must first address an underlying question. Why are you on, or why would you consider taking your business to social media?

The short list of possible answers includes:

Acquiring new customers

Brand awareness

Customer retention

Customer Service

Enhancing SEO

Generating traffic to your website

Lead generation

Online sales

Seasonal promotions

Screening affiliates

Sweepstakes

Thought leadership

There are other reasons as well, but every business leader should have an underlying “why” when it comes to their social media purpose. The obvious reason is that this “why” will drive the methods by which you evaluate your ROI. In most of the cases above, social media marketing would clearly fall into the cost of doing business category (customer service, as an example) and in others, it could fall into the fringe category (for example, online sales[1]).

I believe a solid case could be made for every business having a social media presence. I need to say that up front. For example, what business wouldn’t benefit from brand awareness, thought leadership, or SEO benefits? Any business would! However, the underlying “why” determines the content strategy and marketing budget for any business, which in turn contributes to the basis by which social media’s ROI is evaluated.

Changing Our Social Media Marketing Mindset

So how do we put this all together in light of the changing landscape of social media? As I said earlier, social media marketing is no longer an easy “get in, get rich” prospect for any business leader. Like the gold miner who realized there was a lot of hard work to be done, some gave up and some settled in. Some miners relocated, and some got to work. The California Gold Rush had about 4 years of boom followed by a trickling down of momentum for several more years, but gold is still found in California, and miners still exist.

Social media marketing may have had its easier days, but no one expects social media to disappear. Yes, it’s getting tougher and tougher to strike it rich through social media marketing, but as a lifestyle, it’s not going away. If social media isn’t going away, and the generations of millennials (Generation Y) and post-millennials (Generation Z) who’ve grown up in a digital world are becoming increasingly tied to social media, then where do you suppose customers will be in business growth and business future? Where do you need to do the work?

But, like the smartphones that we’ve all upgraded to, the news that we find faster online, and the immediate customer reviews we look for in social media, our lifestyle has forever changed. As consumers, the way we seek information is not like it used to be. The way we research, purchase, and support businesses and products we like is all online now. For the marketer, it’s all about the consistency of purpose – across social profiles and the web. Do they match? What do others say? What will the consumer find when they search for you, and where will they search?

In my opinion, social media marketing as a fringe option is a false assumption in business. I believe the attitude shift that business leaders must make to stay relevant and marketable is to understand that social media marketing is a cost of doing business. The ROI in this is that your business is present, approachable, attentive – valuable. This is the shift of the lifestyles we lead, and it’s a shift of the lifestyles that our customers lead.

Business leaders who are looking to the future will realize that social media must be integrated into daily operations. There are many strategic ways to implement social campaigns, depending on the big “why,” but marketing attitudes must change! When it comes to your social media presence and the way customers “find” you, stale is a cold trail, and the ROI of nothing is always nothing!

]]>0Frankie Rodriquezhttp://polkadotimpressions.comhttp://polkadotimpressions.com/?p=71662014-12-12T17:14:58Z2014-12-12T08:15:04ZIt was eve of the Hangout, the biggest this year. The message delivered, the reach far and near. The earbuds would once again enter canals With content perhaps good, hopefully not banal. The speakers were clearing and rehearsing their voices Anticipating many content editing choices. High hopes were held by those watching screens That morsels from thought leaders they would ...

]]>It was eve of the Hangout, the biggest this year.
The message delivered, the reach far and near.
The earbuds would once again enter canals
With content perhaps good, hopefully not banal.

The speakers were clearing and rehearsing their voices
Anticipating many content editing choices.
High hopes were held by those watching screens
That morsels from thought leaders they would glean.

For those well-practiced, how great the technology
That delivered great visuals paired with audiology.
A sandwich in hand and screen now online
Created the window to task many times.

Then, when all things were set and success was in sight,
The diabolical happened. On the broadband was blight.
“Gack!” cried the one. “Oh, my!” from the other.
Euphemisms were loud, thoughts questioning one’s mother.

Quick-thinking, quick-acting, rebooting was tried.
No matter the tactic the spinning wheel thrived.
The hammer was lifted, about to Thor down,
When the screen is restored. There’s no longer a frown!

The welcome is offered, identities shared.
One after another at the Slideshare they stared.
How quick they forgot, the disruption a fog.
A faint memory now because there’s a blog!

“Webinars, webcasts and from Hangouts refrain?”
But, nay, the next one comes; they’ll do it again.
Productive is how the hour is spent.
They look up and wonder, “Where did the time went?”

While this is a fun way to look at the process of continuing to stay on top of social media trends, it should be suggesting a very real question for marketers everywhere. Are you staying on top of trends in social media? There are lots of things that vie for your time, but marketing with social media cannot be done well unless you stay on top of the changes that happen every day!